Open Badges and the Future of Education and Learning

As you may have read, one of my goals this year is to study different forms of learning credit. By ‘different forms of learning credit’ I mean alternative means of certifying someone has learned something. Degrees and certifications are usually used in formal settings, but what about informal settings? What about badges?

What the heck is a badge?

A badge is a validated indicator of accomplishment, skill, quality, or interest that can be earned in any learning environment.

As you may have guessed, the badge concept comes from boy scouts and girl scouts who learn a concept, complete a task that demonstrates their knowledge, and get their accomplishment validated. Today, many social sites use badges to indicate involvement, like Miss O and Friends.

Why would anyone want to earn badges?

Imagine not being able to afford to go back to school in order to get a new position, a raise, or switch careers. You already have experience, but you don’t have enough credit in a certain concentration. Imagine just graduating from college and learning that your employer expects you to know a certain programming language that you didn’t learn in school. Imagine already knowing a portion of the content when you apply for a degree program. With the help of employers and academic institutions, badges can help credit informal learning experiences.

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Badges are better than grades for my money. Unlike grades where you can fail a course or just barely pass, you have to demonstrate some level of mastery to get a badge. There is no failure. There is just the notion that you haven’t finished the badge requirements yet. There can be required badges and optional badges. When students select an optional badge to work on, they are more likely to pursue their own interests and be more motivated. The typical badge can be earned in some number of weeks or at most a few months rather than a semester or a full year. To earn a badge you will usually need to produce something that becomes part of your portfolio of your best work. If a badge requires a test, you can take it as often as you have to in order to demonstrate mastery. Sounds good to me.